Move over, ‘Orphan Annie’—Leo Burnett staging off-Broadway debut

Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

While I wouldn’t go clearing room for a Tony next to all those Cannes Lions just yet, there’s a chance Leo Burnett could find itself amid the “Great White Way” soon enough. The Chicago-based advertising agency plans to open an off-Broadway play titled, “8 Million Protagonists,” in Manhattan’s East Village on Nov. 1. The play, is based on various stories crowdsourced via New York Writes Itself, a website launched by Burnett’s New York office as a way to integrate itself into the city, Jay Benjamin, chief creative officer for Leo Burnett New York, had this to say:

“Our industry is moving into content curation and creation so anywhere there is an avenue for entertainment, I feel like ad agencies and their brands should be playing.”

Speaking of content, KISSmetrics’ blog suggests the nine ingredients needed to make yours great. I’m not sure I buy it, though. I don’t see bacon anywhere on the list.

Oddly enough, The New York Times ran an interesting piece on peanut butter’s new best friend: Mr. Pickle. Is the PB&P the next food marketing craze?

Meanwhile, McDonald’s has backed off from its online viral marketing to kids, having quietly altered its Happy Meal site in the face of possible regulatory action following a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission in August.

A group of parents in Encinitas, Cali., would prefer a local school back off from
teaching their kids yoga for fear that the practice’s origins detract from their personal religious beliefs. Good thing they don’t have to worry about how their children are going to work off all of those Happy Meals.

Forget the Golden Arches—as far as Republicans are concerned, it’s all about Chick-fil-A. According to the latest research from YouGov BrandIndex, the chicken chain ranked No. 4 on its list of favorite brands among backers of the GOP, making it the only restaurant to crack the top 10 among Republicans, Democrats, or Independents.

If the political and fast food affiliation of your significant other concerns you, perhaps you should try one of the two newest dating sites, Blue State Date or Red State Date. The hilarious viral effort is the work of JD Beebe, who confirms that the conservative site is getting more traction.

I wonder if Ann Coulter has an account. I suppose we could just search for a profile that calls the president a “retard.” The abrasive politic pundit landed in immediate hot water after doing just that in a tweet during Monday’s third and final presidential debate. Amid the vitriol directed at Coulter is a thoughtful response from the Special Olympics, written by a 30-year-old man with Down syndrome.

I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard.